What It Means to Be a Reconciling Church
The people of Friendship United Methodist Church in Bolingbrook, a Reconciling community, aim to move from saying “all are welcome” to living “all are home.”
Bishop Schwerin invites all to join him in this prayer of grief and hope:
Holy One,
This date, 9/11, and its significance turn 23 today. We cannot unsee what we saw, nor can we undo the harm wrought by terror and violence.
We lift to you all who grieve today, especially those whose loss is tied to their remembrance of this date. Thank you for the selfless ones who ran into buildings and who resisted on planes. Thank you for the way your Spirit hears our laments and calls us to nonviolent love and well-being.
Give us to know love that is stronger than the forces dividing us, so that our national losses could be shared, find mending, and new resolve. Be our prince of peace today, for all our days. In Christ’s name we ask this.
Amen.
The people of Friendship United Methodist Church in Bolingbrook, a Reconciling community, aim to move from saying “all are welcome” to living “all are home.”
Rev. James M. Wilson, a member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away on Monday, October 6, 2025.
Rev. Fernando Siaba, a member of the Northern Illinois Conference, died on October 6, 2025.
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